


take my hand (if you know where i'm going)

by letshargroovetonight



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Absent Parents, Birthday, Developing Relationship, Friendship, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-23 13:31:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17081186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letshargroovetonight/pseuds/letshargroovetonight
Summary: Steve hasn't done much of anything since graduating from Hawkins High; he's told to get a job.





	take my hand (if you know where i'm going)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ceose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceose/gifts).



> A great big thank you to [blablahblahcollapse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blahblahblahcollapse) for giving my piece a read-through!
> 
> Happy Harringrove Holiday Exchange [Ceose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceose) — I hope you enjoy!

It takes a month after graduation for Steve’s father to get fed up with him lolling around the house.

His parents are back for a rare dinner at home. His mom had cooked up some pasta dish, called up to Steve when it was ready. She smiles down at Steve as she puts a plate in front of him. The Harringtons eat in relative quiet, looking down at their plates.

“It’s good, mom,” Steve says, breaking the silence.

“Thank you, honey. There’s more in the kitchen if you want a second helping,” his mom replies.

For a few minutes, it returns back to the hushed sounds of eating.

“So what have you been up to this week, Steven?” his dad asks after the clinking of forks and knives seems to get too loud for his liking.

“Nothing,” Steve responds out of habit. Aside from carting Dustin around on the nights Mrs. Henderson works late, he’s not been up to much. If the sun’s out, he’ll go lay by the pool.

_Or he’ll venture out into the woods late at night with his bat after convincing himself there’s something out there._

“Of course,” his father mutters under his breath. And Steve can see it there, simmering under the surface. His mom must see it too.

“Richard,” she says lightly, as a warning. For Steve or his father, Steve doesn’t know.

“Don’t _Richard_ me, Maryann,” his dad snaps at her. “All he does is sit around all day. Or give that curly-haired kid rides, wasting the gas that _I_ give him cash for.”

“Dustin,” Steve interjects.

“What?” his father barks, turning on him now with a glare.

“His name is Dustin, dad,” Steve replies, holding his ground.

“I don’t care what his name is!” His dad shouts.  “I care about the fact that my son graduated from high school and seems fine with doing _nothing_ with his life. You didn’t apply to any schools like you said you would and you don’t even have a _goddamn_ job. But you don’t have any problem spending the money _I’ve_ earned, do you?”

He punctuates the ending of his tirade with a hand slamming down on the table.

“Richard, leave him be,” his mom says, trying to sound calm. But Steve knows her, knows she’s upset. She hates when his father raises his voice, when he loses his composure.

Steve stares at the pile of pasta still left on his plate. He can’t imagine sitting through this for much longer. But, he doesn’t have to.

“Get a job,” his dad seethes, before pushing his chair away from the table. “Because you’re not getting another penny from me.”

And with that, he leaves the dining room.

Steve and his mom finish up their food. He helps his mom clear the table and do the dishes. She pats him on the shoulder when they’re done.

Steve goes back up to his room to crawl into bed. He falls asleep before its even 10pm.

_______________________________

Steve is set to start at Scoops Ahoy on a Thursday. It’s the first place he had seen with a _We’re Hiring_ sign hanging up as he wandered around aimlessly at the mall the other day looking for a job.

Scoops Ahoy doesn’t pay much, but it’s not like he has any crazy expenses, living at home like he does. His mom left him money for groceries after his parents left on another trip last week, so it looks like he’ll still get some cash for food. As long as he can pay for gas and buy beer, that’s all he really cares about right now.

George, his new boss, seemed okay too. He had given Steve’s hastily filled-out application a cursory glance before asking him if he could start as soon as possible. Steve could do without the sailor outfit that was thrust at him after he said yes, though.

_______________________________

During his first hour on the clock, he gets a run-through training from his coworker Robin.

“Honestly, there’s not much to it,” she says at the end. “Just don’t go giving customers _huge_ scoops of ice cream and you won’t have a problem.”

“I think I can handle that,” Steve replies, giving her a thumbs up.

“Well, get to it,” Robin urges, looking pointedly over at the cash register. There’s a mom with her kid waiting at the counter.

He serves them up a cone of chocolate ice cream with chocolate sprinkles on top.

“Wow, you’re awesome at this,” jokes Robin as they walk away. “Were able to handle your first customer all by yourself.”

“Yeah, what can I say. Scooping ice cream for people may just be my calling,” he snarks back. She laughs.

Steve stakes out in front of the cash register, waiting for the next customer. He looks out at the food court, scoping out the other options nearby. He is, after all, probably going to be eating here quite often. A McDonald’s, a Nathan’s Famous, a —

His eyes land on the far corner, from the place across the way from Scoops. Billy Hargrove is standing there behind the counter in a red shirt with a nametag pinned on it.

Billy _fucking_ Hargrove works at the cookie place on the other side of the food court.

When their eyes meet over the heads of people sitting down and eating, Billy stares Steve down. He gives Steve a wry smile, then rolls his tongue over his bottom lip.

_______________________________

Billy’s done for the day. Steve can tell because he comes strolling over to Scoops Ahoy, twirling his car keys around one of his fingers. He stands off to the side, contemplating the menu, then steps up to the register.

“I’ll get the Sunken Treasure Sundae, please,” Billy says.

“Are you kidding me, Hargrove?” Steve challenges, unamused with Billy’s choice. It’s the most ridiculous item Scoops Ahoy has, with five scoops of ice cream and all the works.

“Well, _Steve_. I’m a paying customer. Can’t I just have what I ordered?” Billy asks, batting his eyelashes.

“Why can’t you get a cone like a normal person instead of making m—,” Steve starts, but then his manager pops up right behind him.

“Is everything okay over here, Steve?” George questions.

“Oh yeah,” Steve assures him, plastering on a fake smile. “Just waiting for the customer to finish his order.”

Billy clears his throat.

“So, as I was saying. The Sunken Treasure Sundae. Two scoops of chocolate, one cookie dough, one coffee oreo, and uhhhh, fudge swirl. With extra cherries on top. Oh, and brownies too.”

“Coming right up,” Steve grumbles. He gets to work on the absurd sundae, making it a point to keep his eyes on the ice cream in front of him. Steve feels Billy’s gaze on him the entire time.

Steve rings the sundae up once he’s done.

“That’ll be five dollars,” he says. He watches as Billy digs out his wallet from his jeans and thumbs out the cash. Billy slides it across the counter and as Steve reaches out to get the money, the tips of their fingers touch.

“Nice hat, by the way,” Billy taunts.

Steve ignores the comment. He plunges a spoon into the sundae, pushes it towards Billy.

“Ahoy,” Steve mutters as he was told to do because he can sense George is still watching off to the side.

Billy grabs the ice cream. He pops a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth, looking Steve right in the eye as he hums around it.

“See you around, Harrington,” Billy says before walking off.

Robin sidles up to Steve a minute later.

“You know Billy Hargrove?” she questions. She’s new in town, but Steve really doesn’t want to get into it with Robin.

“Yeah, I played basketball with him last year,” is all Steve gives her.

“He’s going to be a senior right? Maybe I’ll have some classes with him,” Robin says. “I’ve heard he drives a Camaro. And that he’s from California — he’s an out of towner like me. ”

Apparently, Robin already knows _all_ about Billy Hargrove.

_______________________________

“Yes, free ice cream!” Dustin whoops with glee when he finds out Steve is working at Scoops Ahoy.

Dustin ends up stopping by at least once a week, sometimes by himself, sometimes with some combination of Lucas or Mike or Will or Max or El alongside him.

“C’mon guys. I can’t give out free ice cream every time,” Steve groans out the fifteenth time the whole gaggle of them tries to get some free cones on the sly. “George is breathing down my neck enough as it is.”

Steve knows all of the kids’ favorite flavors by heart now. He doesn’t even have to ask what they want whenever they come bouncing up to the counter.

“Ahoy,” he chimes teasingly after handing them each their ice creams.

“Ahoy!” They all scream back, drawing the attention of everyone in the food court.

He accepts their quarters for cones, noting they’re a bit short of the total. He’ll pop the difference into the drawer with his own money before he closes out at the end of his shift later.

_______________________________

Mall staff members take smoke breaks out in the alleyway leading to the employee parking lot behind the building. Steve’s been getting tired of the questions he’s asked there, of strangers trying to get to know him better, so he searches for a different location.

Steve discovers a place out back near one of the dumpsters where he can have a smoke in peace during his breaks. He’s allowed fifteen minutes for every four hour shift he works. He likes spending it alone, but it’s only a matter of time before Billy finds his secret spot.

“Throwing yourself out with the rest of the garbage?” Billy asks, rounding in on Steve as he smokes. Billy’s got a pack of cigarettes in his hand, ready to join him.

“Shut up,” Steve responds with no real bite.

Billy plucks Steve’s cigarette from his fingers, uses it to light his own.

“You look tired,” Billy points out after taking a drag.

“Yeah, well.” Steve gestures vaguely, choosing not to finish.

“Your parents around?” Billy follows up.

“Nah, they’re gone for the next few days,” Steve replies. Steve doesn’t sleep so well when he’s the only one in the house. He feels less protected on his own, knowing what he knows about monsters.

“Hm,” Billy acknowledges. He exhales and Steve watches the tendrils of smoke that leave his mouth rise up into the air.

They stand there smoking together for a few more minutes until Billy stubs his cigarette out against the dumpster.

He knocks his boot against one of Steve’s white sneakers.

“Catch you later, Steve,” Billy says.

_______________________________

Steve shoots up from his bed when he hears the doorbell ring. It rings a few more times and then the banging starts. Steve could’ve sworn Billy told him he was working Saturday and Sunday this week, but maybe —

“Steve!?” a voice shouts out at full volume from the front door.

_Dustin_.

“Christ,” Steve grumbles. “It’s gotta only be —” Steve stops when he looks at the clock on his desk. The blaring red numbers tell him it’s half past noon.

He had the closing shift at Scoops last night, had gotten home by ten-thirty. He microwaved some dinner and watched a movie in bed before trying to fall asleep.

Steve had jolted awake at one AM because he thought he heard a noise. Everytime he closed his eyes, his mind ran with the thought that there was something prowling around outside, waiting for him to go back to sleep so it could sneak inside. He wasn’t able to get some rest until the faint light of dawn started streaming in through the blinds of his windows.

“Shit,” Steve mutters to himself, swiping a hand over his face. He hadn’t meant to sleep this late. He moans as he slides out of bed, throwing on some shorts and a sweatshirt. He spies a Metallica shirt on the floor and toes it into the closet before shutting the door.

When he opens the front door, Steve is met with a handful of balloons.

“Happy birthday, man!” Dustin cries.

_Geeze_ Steve thinks, _Can’t believe it’s already the end of September_.

“Thank you,” he says to Dustin with he smile. He clasps the kid on the shoulder and takes the proffered balloons before ushering him inside.

They cross into the kitchen and Steve ties the balloons to the back of one of the chairs pushed up against the center island. He chuckles to himself, imagining Dustin racing over with a bunch of balloons tied to his bike. Dustin plops down in the other chair, starts chattering away about a new comic his mom bought him for getting a 100 on his science test.

Steve pads over to the refrigerator and glances at the note his mom put up with a magnet the other day.

_Honey,_

_We ordered you a cookie cake from Great American Cookie in the mall (I know you like the cookies there!)_

_It’ll be ready the day of your birthday, so don’t forget to pick it up!_

_Love,_

_Mom & Dad _

There’s also a check stuck underneath the magnet for two hundred dollars, signed by his dad. Apparently, Steve still gets a pass on receiving money from his father when it’s his birthday.

He opens the refrigerator and sighs when all he sees is a few beer cans and a bag of string cheese.

_God_ . He’s got to go to the grocery store too. There’s _no_ food.

He reaches into the solitary bag on the top shelf for a string cheese. Beer can’t be the first thing he puts into his mouth this morning.

“Are you, uh. Hungry?” Steve asks, interrupting Dustin’s detailed plot summary. Even though he has nothing to actually offer the kid, Steve was always told to be polite to guests.

“Nah, my mom made mac n’ cheese for lunch,” Dustin responds. Steve hopes Dustin doesn’t hear how loud his stomach growls at that.

“My mom actually gave me some to give to you!” Dustin throws his backpack onto the center island, rummaging through it before taking out a tupperware full of mac n’ cheese.

Steve heats up the food and throws on a pot of coffee.

“Yum, mac n’ cheese and coffee,” Steve jokes when he sits down with his plate of food and mug of coffee. “But, seriously. Tell your mom thanks.”

He wolfs the mac n’ cheese down, draining his coffee shortly after. When he goes to pour a second cup, Dustin scrunches up his nose.

“Mr. Clarke says too much caffeine is bad for you,” Dustin lectures. Steve glares at him over the rim of his mug, then proceeds to take a large gulp of coffee.

“Want to take a ride to Starcourt?” Steve asks, finishing his second cup. “Got something I need to pick up.”

“Yeah! Gotta keep the birthday boy company,” Dustin replies.

_______________________________

Steve stops over at Scoops first to say hi to Robin. She had demanded that George give Steve the day off when she found out it was his birthday from one of the kid’s spilling the beans earlier in the week.

“You know you get a free cone on your birthday, right?” Robin asks.

“I’ll pass,” Steve says. Dustin gasps in offense.

“Wow, never thought I’d see the day when someone passes up free ice cream,” Dustin exclaims, a hand held over his heart. Robin nods along.

“Give me a break,” Steve retorts. “Working here, I’ve had enough ice cream to last me a lifetime. A man can only eat so much of the stuff.”

“Beside, I’ve got a cookie cake waiting for me over there,” Steve reminds Dustin, ticking his head off to the side in the direction of Great American Cookie Company. “See you tomorrow, Robin.”

Billy watches Steve as he makes his way over, kicking off the counter when Steve walks up.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t Harrington and his little pet dweeb,” Billy drawls, slinking over to the display case to peer over at the both of them.

“Can’t you be nice, for like once in your life?” Dustin huffs.

“Nah,” Billy replies.

“But it’s Steve’s birthday today,” Dustin declares.

Billy’s eyes widen. He glances at Steve quickly, his mouth setting in a firm line, then looks away.

“Oh, well if that’s the case, cookies are on the house,” Billy says solemnly.

“Really?” Dustin perks up.

“No,” Billy deadpans. “So, what can I getcha at full price.”

Dustin rolls his eyes.

“Actually, my mom ordered me a cookie cake. Said it would be ready today, so here I am picking it up,” Steve explains.

Billy walks away without a word.

“What a douche,” Dustin mutters under his breath. A few moments later, Billy bursts out from the back room.

“Order up for Harrington,” Billy announces, as if Steve and Dustin aren’t standing two feet away. He brings a _massive_ container over to the register.

“Krista must’ve done this one. _I_ would’ve done a much better job,” Billy says, seemingly mesmerized by the cake. It has _Happy Birthday_ written in blue frosting with a bunch of white frosting dolloped all around it. There’s M&Ms stuck on top of the dollops.

Steve tries to meet Billy’s eyes but he won’t look at him.

“Well, it’s already been paid for, so you’re all good.” Billy talks to a point over Dustin’s head.

Steve gives up.

“Thanks,” he mutters. Steve picks up the container and walks away, Dustin falling into stride next to him.

“Jesus!” Dustin laughs incredulously on their way out. “Could your mom have ordered a _larger_ cookie cake?”

“You know you’re taking like half of this home with you later, right?” Steve says.

_______________________________

It’s his birthday and it’s a Saturday night. And like most Saturday nights these days, Steve is spending it by himself.

All of his friends are off at college now, having left to start a brand new chapter of their lives at the end of August. They’re probably out having the time of their lives at some party right now.

Nancy and Jonathan had brought up going to the movies together, but he can’t be a third wheel on his own _fucking_ birthday. That would just be sad.

He’s sitting on the couch downstairs, watching reruns of Happy Days, when there’s a tentative knock on the front door.

Steve has an idea of who might be there when he goes to open it.

Billy is standing on the front step. He comes in without a word, moves into the living room where Steve was just sat watching TV. It’s still on, but Steve had muted it.

“What’s up” Steve says. He can tell Billy wants to say something, can feel the need radiating off of the other boy. But Billy only stands there, staring at Steve with his hands folded over his chest.

It’s starting to get to Steve.

“Billy…” Steve lets it trail out, trying to wait for him. There are times when Billy is all spitfire, blabbing out the first thing that pops into his head. But other times, it takes him a while to get out what he feels he needs to say.

“Shit, Harrington, you could’ve told me that it was your birthday today.” Billy says. “I had to find out from _Henderson_ of all people. That it’s my —” Billy stops.

Steve lets him, doesn’t push it.

He gets it. Steve feels the same way, unsure of what to call this thing they’ve had for a while. The thing where they hang out together at the mall during their breaks, where Billy comes over on nights when Steve’s parents are away, where they —

“I’m _pissed_ ,” Billy starts, “but it’s your birthday, so I got you something.”

Billy rustles something from the pocket on the inside of his jacket. He holds it out for Steve to take.

It’s an A-ha cassette tape, with _Take on Me_ on it.

When the song first came out over the summer, Steve hadn’t been too enamoured with it. But the more he’s heard it over the past few months, the more it’s grown on him. He finds himself humming the song from time to time, or singing it quietly to himself.

And Billy’s heard. He’d given Steve crap for it, telling him the song sucked and yet, he’d still gotten it for Steve, knowing full well that Steve was going to pop it into the Harrington’s sound system and blast it at full volume at every opportunity he got.

“Billy, I —,” Steve falters. After years of receiving birthday gifts, many of which were given with little thought behind them, this catches Steve a little off-guard.

_Christ_. His mom and dad started writing him checks for his birthday by the time he was ten.

“You can just get whatever you want sweetie”, his mom would always say. Steve remembers wishing that for once, his parents would just _know_ what to get him, that he could have a bit of a _surprise_ on his birthday.

“Thank you,” Steve rasps.

Billy steps up to him, taking Steve’s face into his hands. He brings Steve in for a kiss that leaves him breathless.

When they finally break away from each other, Billy whispers into Steve’s cheek, his lips moving against the soft skin.

“Happy birthday, Steve.”

Steve’s not alone for the rest of his birthday.

_______________________________

Mrs. Henderson is working a double shift, so the plan is to pick Dustin up from the arcade and take him out for food at the diner.

When Steve pulls up, Dustin is waiting outside with Mike and Will. They must’ve run out of quarters. Dustin bounces over to the car. Steve waves a hand at the other two boys.

“I’m starving,” Dustin wails as he slides into the passenger’s seat.

“They’ve got someone coming to get them?” Steve asks, jutting his chin out at the other two kids.

“What?” Dustin questions. “Oh yeah, Mrs. Wheeler’s coming to pick them up.”

Dustin barely waits for the car to stop when they arrive at the diner. He shoots right out. The kid’s already sat down at a booth with a menu open as Steve comes in.

“Whatcha gonna get?” Steve asks as he sits down across from him.

“I’m thinking breakfast for dinner!” Dustin announces. “Oh, like a Belgian waffle! You can get it with whipped cream and strawberries.”

“Sounds good to me, bud,” Steve says. “I might go with a burger.” He had been craving one all day, resisting the pull of a Big Mac from the food court during his lunch break. But here in the diner, his resolve crumbles pretty quickly once he sees a waitress bring some burgers out from the kitchen.

The waitress comes to take their order and as they wait for their food, a girl Dustin’s age passes by their table on her way out, following after her parents.

“Hey Dustin,” she says with a small wave. She giggles when Steve nods his head in acknowledgement.

“Who was that?” Steve asks.

“Oh, that was just Amber. She sits next to me in English,” Dustin says.

“She’s cute,” Steve comments. Dustin blushes.

“Well, I mean, yeah. I guess,” he stutters, rubbing the back of his head. Then he starts babbling about his book report on _Tuck Everlasting_ that’s due in English next week. Steve doesn’t call him out for changing the subject.

When their food comes, Dustin digs in.

“Man, Mike and Will have it bad right now,” Dustin says with a spot of whipped cream on the side of his mouth.

Steve raises an eyebrow.

“Nancy and Jonathan are freaking out about college applications. Jonathan’s got to put together a portfolio for a photography school in New York. And well, I think Nancy’s going to try to get into NYU,” Dustin mumbles the last part around the piece of waffle he just shoved into his mouth.

“New York’s a pretty cool city,” Steve remarks.

“And I heard from Max that Billy’s applying to a few schools back in California,” Dustin continues.

“Oh?” Steve says, trying to feign surprise. He swipes a few fries through the pile of ketchup he squirted onto his plate before, pops them into his mouth.

“Yup. Are you going to apply this year?” Dustin prods, never one to shy away from the hard-hitting questions.

“Hmmm, I dunno haven’t really thought about it too much,” Steve lies. He has. He’s thought about getting out of Hawkins, away from everything, starting afresh. He can’t work at Scoops Ahoy forever. And maybe he can get a decent night’s sleep in a new city.

“C’mon! You can even write your essay about fighting monsters from an alternate dimension,” Dustin says.

“That’s sure to get me in _anywhere_ ,” Steve jokes.

“Who doesn’t want a badass attending their school?” Dustin counters.

“Ha! You’ve just earned yourself a milkshake, dude,” Steve says.

_______________________________

“So California, huh? Heard you’re going back.” Steve says as he twirls one of Billy’s curls around his finger.

They’re sprawled out in front of the fire on a rug that Steve’s dad probably spent a fortune on. It’s a cold night at the end of November and Billy, who has never used a fireplace before, thought it would be fun to throw some logs onto the fire.

“Yeah, but you knew that,” Billy says. Steve hums.

“You gonna join me though?” Billy asks, throwing a crumb from the chips they’ve been munching on into the flames. This isn’t the first time he’s brought it up, but he tries for nonchalant every time.

“Maybe,” Steve replies. Billy’s head pops up from the floor, his curl falling from Steve's finger.

“Really?” Billy asks, his mouth open wide in shock. This is the first time Steve hasn’t completely avoided the question.

“I was with Dustin before. He was talking about how everyone’s applying to college soon. It made me think…” Steve trails off.

“Well, who would’ve thought? Hargrove and Harrington take on UCLA,” Billy chortles. He scooches across the rug a bit to get closer to Steve, presses his head into the curve of Steve’s shoulder.

“Maybe. Or maybe, who knows, I might just become the next assistant manager at Scoops Ahoy Santa Monica or something. Do they got Scoops out there on the West Coast?” Steve teases.

“My boyfriend, everyone. The ice cream man,” Billy says.

And Steve doesn’t mind the title.


End file.
